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- Doctor of Philosophy in Education and Master of Public Policy Dual Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education and Master of Public Policy Dual Degree
This program is designed for aspiring research scholars interested in obtaining both a Master of Public Policy and a Doctor of Philosophy in Education.
Prepare to apply in-depth knowledge of policy processes, content and analysis to critical questions of contemporary education policy.
Program Overview
The Doctor of Philosophy in Education and Master of Public Policy dual degree will prepare you for a career in educational policy by providing rigorous training in education, policy research and analysis.
Course of Study
The first academic year is devoted to MPP classes, the second to PhD classes, the third to completion of the MPP practicum, the fourth to the PhD qualifying exam and the fifth to the PhD dissertation. You must complete 84 units (48 from the PhD in Education and 36 from the Master of Public Policy).
As a student in the dual degree program, you are not required to take the 12-unit cognate block and will only take 12 of the 15 required units for the research block from the PhD program as the scope of these block requirements are interdisciplinary or research-oriented and naturally suited to combine with the MPP. For more information on the MPP requirements for the dual degree, view the full list of required MPP courses.
Application Process
You can enter this program in one of two ways:
(1) Apply simultaneously to both programs (pay one application fee and then apply for a USC Graduate Admission fee waiver for the second application fee, noting that you are applying for a dual degree) and state your intent on each application to be admitted to the dual degree program.
(2) Apply to the PhD during the first semester as an MPP student. If admission is approved by each school, you will be admitted to the dual degree program.
Learn more
Program Details
Degree Awarded
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Public Policy (MPP)
Estimated Length
5 years
Units
84
Program Cost
$2,244 per unit for the first year and tuition and stipend funded by assistantship for years 2-5
Modality
- On Campus
Next Deadline
December 1, 2024
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Faculty
Our professors are experienced practitioners who are committed to fostering your professional growth both inside and outside the classroom.
Stephen J. Aguilar
- Associate Professor of Education
- Educational Psychology
Expertise
- Learning Analytics • EdTech & Generative AI • Digital Equity • Educational Data Science • Motivation & Self-Regulation
Dwuana Bradley
- Assistant Professor of Education
- Higher Education
Expertise
- Critical Education Policy • Higher Ed • K–12
Patricia Burch
- Professor of Education
- Co-director of CEPEG
- K-12 Education Policy
Expertise
- Organizational and Institutional Change • Education Policy • Intersection of Public and Private Partnerships in Education • Digital Instruction • Policy Implementation and Impact • Equity and Quality in Public School Instruction
Darnell Cole
- Professor of Education
- Co-director of the Center for Education, Identity and Social Justice
- Higher Education
Expertise
- Race/ Ethnicity, Diversity, Student-Faculty Interactions, Learning, and Student Experiences within K12 and Higher Education Environments.
Yasemin Copur-Gencturk
- Associate Professor of Education
- Katzman/Ernst Chair for Educational Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation
- Teacher Education
Expertise
- knowledge for teaching mathematics, teacher knowledge, mathematics education, mathematics teacher education, professional development, teacher learning.
Gregory Franklin
- Professor of Clinical Education
- K-12 Education Policy
Expertise
- Leadership • Policy • Accountability
Shaun Harper
- University Professor
- Provost Professor of Education, Business, and Public Policy
- Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership
- USC Race and Equity Center Founder and Chief Research Officer
- Higher Education
Expertise
- Race in K-12 • Higher Education, and Corporate Contexts • Urban Education • Boys and Men of Color • College Student Success • Intercollegiate Athletics
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
- Fahmy and Donna Attallah Chair in Humanistic Psychology
- Director, USC Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education (candle.usc.edu)
- Professor of Education, Psychology & Neuroscience
- Brain & Creativity Institute; Rossier School of Education University of Southern California Member, U.S. National Academy of Education
- Educational Psychology
Expertise
- Neuroscience of Learning • Creativity • Culture • Morality and Social Interaction
Royel M. Johnson, PhD
- Associate Professor & Director
- Higher Education
Expertise
- Racial Equity • Education Access • Student Success • Education Policy • Carcerality in Education • Foster Care • Juvenile Justice
Adrianna Kezar
- Dean's Professor of Leadership
- Wilbur-Kieffer Professor of Higher Education
- Director Pullias Center for Higher Education
- Higher Education
Expertise
- Higher Education • Leadership • Diversity
Esther Chihye Kim
- Assistant Teaching Professor of Education
Expertise
- Research Methodology • Higher Education • Inequalities
Julie Marsh
- Professor of Education
- Co-director of CEPEG
- K-12 Education Policy
Expertise
- K-12 Education Policy and Governance • Accountability • Teacher Incentive Programs • Data-Driven Reforms • School District Reform • School Choice • Equity-Oriented Reforms • Literacy Coaching
Tatiana Melguizo
- Professor of Education, In Memoriam 1968 - 2024
- Higher Education
Expertise
- Higher Education • Finance • Affirmative Action • Community Colleges • College trajectories of students of color, Program Evaluation
Eugenia Mora-Flores
- Professor of Clinical Education, Assistant Dean of Teacher Education
- Teacher Education
Expertise
- Multilingual Learners • Bilingual Education • Language and Literacy Development TK-12 • Educational Rights for English Learners • Latino Culture in Schools • English Language Development and Instruction • Adolescent Literacy • writing Instruction and Learning
John Pascarella, III
- Professor of Clinical Education
- Teacher Education
Expertise
- Teacher Education • Racial Equity • Digital Media Literacies • Instructional Leadership • Critical Pedagogy • Arts-Based Methods to HIV/AIDS Education
Erika A. Patall
- Professor of Education and Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Expertise
- Motivation • Autonomy Support • Choice Provision • Student Agency • Need Support • Education Practices • Research Synthesis • Meta-Analysis
Lawrence O. Picus
- Richard T. Cooper and Mary Catherine Cooper Chair in Public School Administration
- Professor of Education Finance and Policy
- Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
- K-12 Education Policy
Expertise
- Public Financing of Schools
Morgan Polikoff
- Professor of Education
- K-12 Education Policy
Expertise
- K-12 Education Policy • Curriculum • Standards-based Reform • Assessment Policy • Alignment • Survey Research • Quantitative Methods • COVID and Education
Julie R. Posselt
- Professor of Education
- Higher Education
Expertise
- Equity & Diversity in Higher Education • Organizational Theory • Sociology of Education • Research Methods
Marsha Boveja Riggio, Ph.D.
- Associate (Teaching) Professor of Teaching
- K-12 Education Policy
Expertise
- Educational Psychology • K-12 Education • Diversity • Leadership • Supervision • School Counseling • Adolescents • Military
Mark Power Robison
- Professor of Clinical Education and History
- Chair Global Executive EdD Program
- Higher Education
Helena Seli
- Professor of Clinical Education, Assistant Dean of Academic Program Development
- Educational Psychology
Expertise
- Educational Psychology
Gale M. Sinatra
- Distinguished Professor and Stephen H. Crocker Chair
- Professor of Education and Psychology
- Associate Dean for Research
- Educational Psychology
Expertise
- Learning Theory • Knowledge Construction • Conceptual Change Learning • Science Learning • Public Understanding of Science
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